ALEMANIA CONDECORACIONES
Bibliografía y enlaces de interes:
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World War 2 German medals and Political awards (Vol. 1 y 2) - A collectors guide
Christopher Ailsby
Ian Allan Publishing
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Historia de la Cruz de Hierro - Eduardo Caamaño - Almuzara 2021
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World War II German Battle Insignia - Gordon Williamson - Osprey
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http://www.ek1-dna.de/index.html
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http://www.wehrmacht-info.com/cruz_merito.html
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http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_merit_cross/war_merit_cross_main.htm
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https://www.ostmedaille-database.com/
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https://www.ostmedaille-database.com/work#/om6/
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https://www.militaria-history.co.uk/articles/nazi-ostvolk-awards/
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Notas sobre materiales utilizados en las condecoraciones alemanas
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the iron crossEISERNES KREUZ
the iron cross, one of the most important decorations known, was established in 1813 by theKing Frederick William III of Prussia, as a reward for acts of bravery during the war with France.
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After World War I and in order of date 03/07/1925, in theWeimar Republicthe granting of military decorations of any kind was suspended. Later with the new government of theIII Reich, on 09/1/1939 all military decorations were reinstated.
During World War II there were 8 degrees of the Iron Cross:
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Grand Cross of the Iron Cross (reinstated 09/1/1939)-It was only awarded to H. Göring in 1940.
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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Instated 07/08/1940)
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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (instated 06/21/1941)
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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords set with diamonds (Instated 07/15/1941)
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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Gold with Diamonds (Instated 12/29/1944) -Only one was awardedOberst Hans Ulrich Rudel.
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iron cross 2nd class
The 2nd class Iron Cross was designed on both sides, with a ring and a ribbon. The dorsal side is engraved with the year of its institution, 1813, in the lower part of the lower arm.
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It was made in three pieces, the front frame, the central part of chemically treated or enameled iron in black and the back frame, the three parts are joined in the form of a sandwich, and generally in the ring ( some do not have a manufacturer's mark) the manufacturer's mark consisting of anumerical code.
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It was awarded for exceptional service in combat and for bravery in the face of the enemy.
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For the granting of the next degree it was necessary that the previous degree had been granted.
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The Iron Cross of 2 class, could be awarded to foreigners as well as it could also be awarded in groups, as was the case with the crews of the cruiseradmiral scheer y the one of theU47(after the mission ofScapa Flow). The Iron Cross was usually awarded inside an ocher or blue paper envelope, y with the name printed on it. Once it was granted, only the ribbon attached to the second button of the jacket was worn, since the Cross itself was only displayed on the dress uniform.
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The cross in the collection was manufactured by franz petzl of Vienna, bears the mark of themanufacturer "120"in the ring
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iron cross 1st class
The Iron Cross 1st Class was also inaugurated on 1 September 1939, similar to its World War I predecessor, but with the swastika in the center. The criteria for granting it differed depending on whether it was the army, theKriegsmarinewaveLutwaffe, So:
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heer: Have been nominated 3 times for distinguished service, after having been awarded 2nd class.
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Kriegsmarine: The tonnage sunk was taken into account, approximately 50,000 tons.
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luftwaffe: It was awarded after having obtained 5 points, scoring as follows:
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1 point for each fighter shot down
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2 points for each twin shot down
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3 points for each bomber shot down
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Each night victory was worth double the points.
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The standard design consisted of the main face being the same as the 2nd class cross, but the dorsal face was smooth and matt silver with a needle to fix it on the jacket, generally the manufacturer's mark was engraved on the needle, although there are examples without manufacturer's mark. Sometimes the manufacturer replaced the needle with a screw, with its corresponding fixing head.
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3 variants of the iron cross of 1 class are known:
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Variant with slightly convex arms.
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Smaller variant (41 x 41mm) designed for generals.
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Variant for the navy, brass or copper center (non-magnetic), the reason was that iron oxidized easily with seawater.
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The Iron Cross of 1 class has the same measurements as that of 2 class: 44mm x 44mm, and it was also made in three pieces: the blackened central part, the frame and the smooth and silver back part with the needle or fixing screw. . On the edges of the cross, the assembly in a "sandwich" mode of the three pieces is observed.
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On the cross of the collection there is a 7 on the inside of the needle that could be the manufacturer's marking, but with adetailed study of it(helped by a colleague from the Mundo Militaria forum) it has been determined that the cross was made by:Klein & Quenzer - Idar-Oberstein (65).
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As a curiosity to comment that there are variants of the iron cross manufactured in Spain and Japan.
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WAR MERIT CROSS WITH SWORDS
KRIEGSVERDIENSTKREUZ
The War Merit Cross was instituted by AH on 10/18/1939. The variant with swords recognizes military personnel who perform acts of courage above duty without being under direct enemy fire or in direct combat operations, for which reason it was granted when the criteria for Award of the Iron Cross. It was also awarded for acts of merit in auxiliary services in the rear.
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http://www.wehrmacht-info.com/cruz_merito.html
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_merit_cross/war_merit_cross_main.htm
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Recipients had to be awarded the lowest class of the decoration, before they could obtain the next grade.
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It consists of a 49 mm long Maltese cross made of silver-plated bronze. With the advance of the war and the scarcity of materials, they were also manufactured in zinc with a bronze bath, which with the passage of time has a grayish appearance.
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WAR MERIT CROSS WITH SWORDS 2nd class
Marcaje en la anilla 5 - Herman Wenstein - Jena Lobstedt
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WAR MERIT CROSS WITH SWORDS 1st class
The cross in the collection is made of zinc and has the manufacturer's mark on the needle: 4 -Steinhauer & Lück - Lüdenscheid
​WINTERSCHLACHT IM OSTEN
Medal given to the troops that fought in the Winter Campaign in Russia between 1941 and 1942. It was awarded until 9/4/1944. Among the troop he received the name of the "frozen meat medal".
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Ring marked 6 - Fritz Zimmerman - Stuttgart
OSTVOLKMEDAILLE
La medalla se estableció el 14/07/1942, y se concedió por actos de valentía (con espadas) y al mérito (sin espadas), a los ciudadanos de los Pueblos del Este (Unión Soviética) que combatían como voluntarios en unidades de la Wehrmacht.
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A partir de noviembre de 1942, también se concedió a oficiales y suboficiales que mandaban las Osttruppen (Unidades de la Whermacht formadas por personal voluntario de la Unión Soviética). Estos eran elegibles para la medalla en grado plata siempre que se les hubiera concedido la Cruz de hierro de 2a clase. Las mujeres que sirvieron en los Osttruppen, también eran elegibles para la concesión de la medalla.
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La condecoración de estableció con espadas (actos de valentía) y sin espadas (actos de mérito), en dos clases: 1a clase y 2a clase, y con tres rangos dentro de cada clase: oro, plata y bronce. Para la concesión de la medalla se debía estar en posesión de la de clase o rango inferior.
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Más información: https://www.militaria-history.co.uk/articles/nazi-ostvolk-awards
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2 clase con espadas en bronce
Fabricada en aleación de cobre (bronce).
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La medalla de la colección se corresponde con la 2a clase en bronce.
